November 07, 2007

Red Bull Can Kill

ENERGY drinks like Red Bull can cause heart attacks and strokes by boosting
blood pressure, medics warned yesterday.
Doctors ordered those with heart disease or high blood pressure to avoid them
completely.
Just two cans a day of drinks with caffeine and taurine were shown to have an
impact.
They caused blood pressure to rise significantly, even in healthy people.
Most energy drinks contain caffeine and taurine – an amino acid found
in protein-rich foods like meat and fish thought to make people alert.
Both affect heart rate but little is known about their impact on blood
pressure.

The same would be true of anything containing that much caffeine cofee, tea or coke.

Your bonus trivia point for the day is that Taurene is the one amino acid that cats cannot create in their bodies: they must get it from their food. This is why they must have meat products in their diet: or if they're on a vegetarian one, it must be supplemented with taurine.